The present invention relates generally to mechanisms to prevent damage to optical fibers when pulling forces are applied and, in particular, to a breakaway feature that disconnects a connectorized optical fiber from an excessive pulling force.
It is often necessary to install or modify optical fiber connections within a cabinet enclosure or other confined space. An optical fiber may be required to ultimately interact with more distant equipment, requiring the fiber or an intermediary optical fiber to be pulled and bent through the architecture of the enclosure or even through a wall. As with most optical fiber manipulations, it is essential to protect the integrity of the optical fibers and their terminal connectors from excessive forces such as bending or pulling during routing and placement.
Applications such as telecommunications, data processing, and data storage employ fiber optic jumper cables as intermediaries when connecting a fiber optic circuit with external equipment. Fiber optic jumper cables are generally a single strand of optical fiber having a connector mounted on its terminal end, but may also be a plurality of optical fibers, and are designed to interconnect two other fiber optic devices or cables within a transmission system. For example, fiber optic jumper cables may connect the front side of a fiber optic patch panel to another patch panel or some other enclosure. In connecting these components, the fiber optic jumper cable is often pulled around other patch panels in very limited spaces by applying a pulling device to the connector on the terminal end of the optical fiber. There are also instances in which an optical fiber having a connector, and not specifically a fiber optic jumper cable, must be routed through a complex enclosure or through a wall.
Routing optical fibers in confined areas requires consideration of the pulling forces applied to a fiber and its terminal connector, as well as potential excessive fiber bending. Pulling grips or other means for applying force may provide appropriate tension to guide the front end of an optical fiber through an enclosure, but their effect is difficult to regulate. The sensitivity of optical fibers and connectors to excessive force dictates that a force-guided manipulation should be well controlled to minimize fiber and connector damage. It is preferable to abandon a particular routing pathway that causes too much bending or friction, than to apply inordinate pulling force to the optical fibers and connectors.
The difficulties in applying appropriate pulling forces to connectorized optical fibers may be overcome by placing a xe2x80x9cbreakawayxe2x80x9d component or intermediate force-sensitive device along the pulling pathway. This device would disengage the optical fiber from the pulling force at a predetermined pulling resistance, thereby protecting the optical fiber and its connector from damage and deterioration. The device of the present invention inserts a breakaway component along the path between the optical fiber being pulled and its pulling force. The breakaway device prevents damage to the optical fiber and connector by breaking at a predetermined tension, thereby allowing the user to reconfigure the routing to prevent damage to the fiber.
The device of the present invention operates by disconnecting a pulling force from a connectorized optical fiber at a predetermined tension. By separating an excessive pulling force from a connectorized optical fiber, both the fiber and the connector are protected from damage and remain functional. A force-sensitive breakaway component may be inserted along the pathway connecting a pulling force to at least one optical fiber, or the pulling line itself may have breakaway capabilities. A breakaway cap may also be placed over the front end of the optical fiber, such that a portion of the breakaway cap releases the pulling cord upon excessive pulling force.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.